I think the point is that it's not solely an asset

I would assume most would say that they got quite a bit more out of attending Notre Dame than the resultant income differential. Seems like multiple things can all be true here.

1. There is a potential benefit to going to college beyond the economic ROI.

2. That said, there does need to be a certain level of economic ROI given the costs involved, and for many students that economic ROI is not achieved.

3. College is not the only place that the economic and non-economic benefits often associated with higher education can be obtained, and for many students it is not the right place for those benefits to be obtained.

4. Thus, instead of encouraging everyone to go to college, we should do more to promote the availability of both these economic and non-economic benefits in contexts outside of traditional four-year colleges.